By ANGELA GALLOWAY, P-I REPORTER

Published 10:00 pm, Thursday, June 26, 2008

The U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Washington, D.C., gun case does not jeopardize Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels' recently announced plans to ban guns in public parks, community centers and all other city properties, said Regina LaBelle, counsel to the mayor.

In fact, the ruling affirmed that, "The Second Amendment right is not unlimited, is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever, in any way whatsoever and for any purpose," LaBelle said.

Earlier this month, Nickels directed city departments to come up with proposed rules that would effectively prohibit guns on all city property, except by law enforcement officers.

The mayor said he also intends continue lobbying state legislators for stricter Washington gun-control laws. In particular, he has called for restrictions aimed at keeping guns out of the hands of felons, the mentally ill and children.

This ruling only bolsters the city's case in its push for "common sense, reasonable laws in place that keep guns out of the hands of individuals who shouldn't have them," said LaBelle, noting Justice Scalia's clarification that the ruling did not reflect an absolute right to carry guns.